I've said it before and I'll say it again

The voice in my head that says You can't do this is a dirty, rotten liar.

Today, it was colluding with the voice that says You don't really need to go to the gym, as it's done all week. After a very early morning shift at work and a fitful, unsatisfying nap, I very nearly believed it.

If I've learned one thing this week, though, it's that the days those voices are loudest are the days I will perform beyond my expectations.

I had planned to go for a mile today, focusing on speed. Over the past week, I've made gains in both speed and endurance, so I took a chance and upped my interval speed quite dramatically. I went for 6.0mph on my slower jogs and 6.4 on my faster ones, which is a big step up from my 5.6-6.0 I was doing.

The body lets you know when it's ready for more. I have learned countless times that pushing speed before my body asks for it is a recipe for frustration at best, injury at worst.

I finished my first mile in a new personal-best time of 11:22, trimming just two seconds off my previous best, achieved earlier this week. I was thrilled with this time, considering I'd already wasted some energy running on another treadmill (which I bailed off of within a minute or two, when the belt started slipping and I almost fell).

I didn't feel ready to be done, though, so I continued with my intervals and wrapped a second mile in a new personal-best two-mile time of 24:12. That's an improvement of 48 seconds.

Remember when breaking 14:00 on a single mile moved me to tears? I do. And it wasn't that long ago. (And a hearty LOL at that entry: another day I almost didn't go to the gym! It truly is a pattern.)

It's been a rough week, between the crappy weather and my own general malaise, so I wasn't surprised when I weighed in today and didn't see a change on the scale. But you know what? That's okay. Because those numbers on the treadmill tell me everything I need to know.

I'm still getting better. Even if I don't break into one-derland by April 13 (like I so badly want to), I'm still improving. Every day, it's still worth it.

Crossing fingers for the beautiful, sunny day tomorrow that we were supposed to have today. Looking to start April with a solid 3-mile run outside! Come on, sun!